An Analysis of the Role of Gothic Architecture in Crimson Peak

Abstract

Gothic architecture’s expression of anxiety about the relationship with the past, about the family, evokes the imagery of ghosts, and thus this type of house as a haunted site. Guillermo del Toro’s 2015 Crimson Peak provides a good example of the contribution of Gothic architecture to the atmosphere and visualisation of haunted house narratives in modern Gothic cinema, and demonstrates that the untraceable history of the Gothic sets the stage for the relationship between the traumatic memories of the past and the present. In the following part, we will delve into the confrontation between past and present suggested by Gothic architectural features, using Crimson Peak as a case study of how Gothic architecture has provided a lasting influence on the genre.